Down on the farm...

As some of you may already know thanks to my profile, I grew up on a farm raising Clydesdale's. It's quite apparent that the motto in our family is "go big, or go home". We always had the biggest dogs and we obviously had the biggest horses. Yesterday Daniel and I made the trip to my Mom's place to snap a few pictures of them. After years of raising these gentle giants my Mom has decided to get out of the business and put all but one up for sale in preparation of selling the farm.
When we first moved to the farm I hated it. I was a born and bred city girl who wasn't use to living so far away from the nearest grocery store. I quickly adjusted and there was never a dull moment for us four kids. We were fortunate in the fact our parents didn't make us work during our school years as long as our grades were up to par. The rule no longer applied once you hit the in between high school and college phase of your life so you were given a choice. You can either go out and get a full time job working until you leave for college or you can take over all of the barn chores, which includes feeding and mucking out stalls. Now being the typical lazy teenager that most are I had to weigh each of my options, go out and get an 8-5 job or work in the barn maybe three hours out of the entire day going back to bed after the morning feeding. I don't think I need to tell you which one I chose. Does anybody have any experience with mucking out horse stalls full of saw dust in 90 degree weather? The heat, smell, and the thin layer of sawdust that settles on your skin and hair was enough to make me question whether or not a 8-5 job would be easier. I stuck it out though and the day I left home I swore I would never set foot in that barn again. I love the horses but I hate the work and smell associated with having them.

I unfortunately married a man that dreams of one day having the exact set up that my Mom currently has. She had Great Danes and now we have Great Danes, she has Clydesdales and now Daniel wants one so bad he can't see straight, I try to limit the amount of times I tell my Husband no when he wants something, this time however I say NO and I mean it, no arguing. We can barely feed the dogs so can you imagine what it would cost to feed a Clydesdale?? Because of my Husband's love of the family horses my threat of never stepping foot in that barn again was a lie. I have stepped foot in that barn way too many times and I have also cleaned out a few of the stalls, like when Mom goes to Vegas and leaves Daniel and I in charge of the entire operation. I need a vacation just to recover from those stays.

Never did I ever think I would be sad to think about not having the farm and all of it's creatures as a part of my life, but seeing how happy they make Daniel and knowing just how badly he wishes we could afford to buy the place, it does make me sad. It makes me sad to think we won't have any more Sunday afternoon outings at the place, walking in the pastures with the Clydes trailing behind us like lost little puppy dogs.

Mom...you wouldn't happen to be willing to consider a lease to own option would you? We will let you come live with us instead of putting you in a nursing home later on down the road. Just something for you think about, maybe you should weigh your options? :)

Here shrimpy, shrimpy...

Growing up my Mom never cooked fish and because of that I never really had any interest in trying it when I grew up. I have slowly been trying to incorporate more fish in my diet so after having this shrimp dish on Friday night at my Step-Dad's, I thought I would give them a whirl at my house for Daniel. FYI, if I eat anything that swims, then you know it has to be good or else it wouldn't make it on to my dinner plate.
Shrimp~
Ingredients:
1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 can diced green chilies, sm. can
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
Essence of Emeril Seasoning

Directions:
1.) In a large skillet over medium high heat add your butter, green chilies, lime juice, and shrimp.
2.) Sprinkle red pepper flakes and about a tablespoon or so of the Essence of Emeril seasoning. Saute until your shrimp are a nice pink color.

You can serve this over angel hair pasta, in taco shells, or just eat plain like we did. Also, if you have trouble finding the Essence of Emeril in stores like yours truly did, make your own essence using the recipe below. This is supposed to the exact replica of how Emeril makes his.

Essence of Emeril~
2 1/2 tbsp. paprika
2 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. dried thyme

Mixed Berry Pie

It's another Saturday night dinner and this weekend my sister has taken over the reigns. I decided after having homemade apple pie at my Step-Dad and his girlfriend Kathy's house last night that I would attempt a homemade pie on my own tonight. I love berries so I thought a mixed berry pie would be awesome to try.

Mixed Berry Pie~

Ingredients:

1 C. fresh strawberries, quartered

6 oz. fresh raspberries

6 oz. fresh blueberries

6 oz. fresh blackberries

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 C. white sugar

3 tbsp. cornstarch

Pie crust

Directions:

1.) In a large mixing bowl stir together sugar and cornstarch. Add fresh fruit and gently toss. Add lemon juice.

2.) Add your pie crust to a 9 in. pie pan or to your already made pie crust, add your fruit mixture. Top with your second crust or make a lattice work.

3.) Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

4.) Cool on a wire rack.

I attempted to make my own pie crust and I will be honest, never again will I make one on my own. I just don't have what it takes, couldn't roll it out to save myself. Next time I will be making the pre-made store boughten kind and I assure you, I will still be able to sleep at night. Other than having trouble with the crust, the smell of this pie was unbelievable and I can't wait to tear into it night after dinner.

Not another pasta recipe...

If you didn't believe me about the pasta addiction mentioned before I hope you do now. Here we are two days later and I have made yet another pasta dish. My Hubby requested this one so I am not totally at fault, but it was on the list of meal possibilities that I gave him so it's not like he pulled it out of left field.

Does anyone else feel like your pulling teeth when asking your significant other what they would like for meals through out the week? I despise trying to get that sort of information out of Daniel. One of the last times I asked him you know what he said...hot dogs? Hot dogs?? You have a wife who loves to cook, is willing to cook just about anything, and has a food blog to top it all off, and all you can think about is hot dogs? How am I supposed to blog about hot dogs...geesh.

Anyway, I am slowly realizing that my husband doesn't have a fancy palate, he is happy with down home simple meals such as a good casserole. I know this probably isn't considered a casserole but it's down home and very easy. Some may know it as Johnny Marzetti as my family does, others may know it as Goulash, either way I hope you enjoy!!!

Katie's Johnny Marzetti~

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1- 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes
1- 6 oz. tomato paste
2/3 C. tomato sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
1.) In a large pan, bring to a boil elbow macaroni.
2.) In a skillet brown ground beef, add green pepper and onion. Drain grease.
3.) Add ground beef mixture to drained elbow macaroni and add your diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce. Stir together and add salt and pepper, stir once again.

Now if it were up to me I would add a couple of cups of shredded cheese and throw that bad boy in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Since Daniel is picky and I want him to enjoy this I am going to leave as is. You do whatever floats your boat!

Great Danes...

Can't live with them, can't live without them! I thought this disease that my hubby has in regards to raising the biggest dogs he can possibly find was just something he suffered from, my favorite pioneer lady however, has proven me wrong.

I don't know if it's the sad puppy dogs eyes that they have from the time of birth to the time of death or the need to sit on the couch as if they were human beings or what. You just can't say no to these creatures they are pathetic sad saps that you just can't help but take aside and squeeze until they almost burst from your love. Meet Mr. No Name, this lovely little fellow showed up on The Pioneer Womans front porch this morning and I'll be darned if she didn't let him in just like my Husband would have done. She also fed him and now I wonder if she will keep him. What kind of power do these wonderful creatures hold that makes people unable to use Great Dane and heck no in the same sentence?? Click on "The Pioneer Womans" and go directly to her blog to read more!

Picture provided by Ree Drummond @ The Pioneer Woman

My name is Katie and I have an addiction...

Yes I have an addiction, I think I have mentioned it before. I am a sucker for pasta, especially pastas drenched in sauce and piled high with cheeses. I don't know where this comes from, I am half German, half Irish, and I am pretty sure there is no Italian in there anywhere.

Anyway, like I said I love my pasta, I could eat it just about every day of the week in a different form each night. I have made this recipe before using different ingredients and tonight I thought I would keep it relatively simple by using ingredients that I have on hand. You are more than welcome to use your own homemade sauce, but tonight I am making Sandra Lee proud and doing it the Semi-Homemade way by using a jar of my favorite store bought version.

Katie's Stuffed Shells~

Ingredients:
1 box. jumbo shells

1 jar. pasta sauce

1 lb. ground beef

1 md. container ricotta cheese

1 C. parmesan cheese

4 C. mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1.) In a large pot bring to a boil your shells. Do not cook all the way through as they will finish cooking in the oven.

2.) In a separate skillet brown ground beef, drain off any excess grease. Add garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix and turn off heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

3.) To the cooled meat mixture, add your ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Mix gently and then add 1/2 cup of your sauce.

4.)Begin my putting a good tablespoon or so of your meat mixture to each shell.
5.) In a 9x13 baking pan take a little of your sauce and cover the bottom. Layer stuffed shells. Top with remaining sauce and remainder of shredded cheese.
6.) Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit covered for 45 minutes, for the last ten or so minutes bake uncovered so that topping can brown slightly.

Outback Night

As promised I am providing you one of the recipes out of the lovely cook book I got from an e-mail. Tonight I decided on doing a few of the Outback recipes and we were not disappointed. I have never had these items at Outback so I am not sure how close they are to the original, but we didn't have much left so it must not have been to bad.

Outback Steak Marinade

Ingredients:

1 package of Taco Seasoning

1 package of Good Seasonings Italian Mix
1 can of Coca-Cola

Steak of your choice

Directions:

1.) In a large bowl add all of your ingredients and allow to marinate for 24 hours.

We made ours by doing kabobs so I also added green peppers, onion, and cherry tomotoes when putting them on the kabobs.

I also made cheesy fries and made their dipping sauce.

Outback Sauce~

Ingredients:

1 C. sour cream

2 tbsp. prepared horseradish

dash of salt

dash of pepper

dash of cayenne pepper

Directions:

1.) Mix together in a bowl and allow to "marry" for an hour or so.

Both my Husband and our dinner guest Denny enjoyed this sauce on not only their fries but on their steak and veggies as well.